Portfolio

03 April 2013

I just realized that as I'm uploading the above photo collage to this post, I'm smiling. It's been a crazy morning: husband and 2-year-old son make pancakces for 1-year-old daughters first birthday (picture it: egg yolk running down face of kitchen cabinets), son throws tantrum over wanting to be with work-at-home mommy and not scootering with nanny, and then just the on-going stress of crafting my 100-craft, insane (but awesome) book. Serious first-world problems here, but still, I've been a slight ball of tension for the last 2 hours.

And then I spot this photo on Flavor Wire. Romania-based photographer Alexandra Sandu’s technique in The Daydreamers Project is to place subjects against a colorful pastel background and
ask them to close their eyes and think of something cheerful. She snaps a photo, and ahhh...images of Zen. She began the project in
September 2009, and her goal is to document 1,000 daydreamers. This boy makes me particularly happy...adults seem to look forward or to turn their faces downward, but he turns it up...a true expression of joy!

Maybe this is a good exercise for us all to do...think of what brings you the most happiness and have someone take your photo with your eyes closed. When your problems start to plague you, first-world or other, glance at the photo for a reminder of your happy place.

15 March 2013

Allenah - El Nido, Philippines

Writers, photographers, reporters, and documentarians travel the world to search for differences and similarities in all aspects of countries and cultures—food, politics, landscape, architecture, and the list goes on. The general consensus is there is very little that is universal except perhaps the basic need for necessities like food, shelter, and clothing.

Alessia - Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy

Photographer Gabriele Galimberti travelled the world, examining a very unique relationship— the connection of children to their toys. After 18 months of shooting these gorgeous photographs of children with their toys, he discovered that “at their age, they are pretty all much the same. They just want to play.” This piece by Ben Machell from The Times Magazine reveals some interesting insight into how the affluence of the kids affected how they allowed Galimberti to interact with their toys and how their homeland and parents influenced what they chose to play with.

Stella - Montecchio, Italy

Bethsaida - Port au Prince, Haiti

Of course this all made me think about my kids, Oliver and Sommer, and their relationship to their most prized toys. At almost a year, Sommer, for the most part, wants whatever her 2 and a half year old brother has, but Oliver's proclivities are a little more telling. He loves his toy New York City Subway trains, since he knows that Mommy and Daddy ride the train to work. He loves his paints, markers, and crayons; Mommy seemingly "plays" with those materials all day. And I guess for Sommer, I can say that she grabs her one babydoll (we named her Automn), enthusiastically hugging and kissing her; she is probably modeling my desperate attempts to hug and cuddle my baby girl, fearing that she is growing up too fast.

Li Yi Chen - Shenyang, China

Maudy - Kalulushi, Zambia

Do your kids' toys reflect where you live, who you are, or what you, as parents, do for a living? Do their toys bring you back to your childhood?

There is so much emotion, symbolism, and narrative to decode in Galimberti's exquisite photographs. I want to know so much more about each child, her family, and what his toys mean to him. Visit Galimberti's site to see the rest of the series, each one more captivating than the last.

11 January 2013

If you challenged yourself to document everything that you bought, do you think you'd spend less money? And by document, it could be any format...a typed list, a phone snapshot, a voice memo. What if you told yourself you were going to draw everything you buy on a daily basis? Enter Kate Bingaman-Burt, a dedicated (gross understatement) illustrator who has been drawing every last purchase, from baggage check fees to a new hair brush, since Februay 2006. Here are some of her drawings from December 2012. Crazy or cool? You decide.

23 August 2010

I'm always blown away by those able to turn the most 2-dimensional material (paper) into 3 dimensions. Take a peak at this gorgeous cut-paper work by Helen Musselwhite from the U.K. Found on Thoughtful Day.

29 July 2010

Styling shelves is a real talent, but James Hopkins takes it to a new level. By arranging and cutting into things, Hopkins creates his Vanitas installations from related groupings of everyday objects.

Hopkins says of these pieces in a Wallpaper article: "I see these shelves as tombstones to the current,
ephemeral era in design because, while they look quite luxurious
and modern now, next year they will already begin to look
dated."

Each grouping is comprised of related objects, either by color or style.
For example, in Shelf Life (top image), these are all items that would be
found in a teenagers room, and point to the impermanence of objects
and their persistence in memory. Other groupings include vintage objects or contemporary, design-forward items that Hopkins surrounds himself with.

It's like making a painting on your bookcases (with a touch of social commentary). Baffling and amazing.

23 July 2010

I've always been obsessed with the Real Simple paper constructionist, Matthew Sporzynski. David Brownings, an illustrator living in Bristol, has a similar talent with a little twist. Here's a sample of his work...

These are described on his site as boxes, but I'm not sure if they are usable or just amazingly cool.

23 June 2010

When fine art mixes with a craft technique, I'm always intrigued. Today I found the amazing work of Lauren DiCioccio (via Handmade Charlotte). DiCioccio tediously embroiders rather banal object replicas; the common "thread" in her work is the fast-approaching extinction of everyday manufactured media objects. About her pieces, DiCioccio says...

My work investigates the physical/tangible beauty of
commonplace mass-produced media-objects, most recently: the newspaper,
magazines, office papers and writing pads, plastic bags, 35 mm slides.
These media are becoming obsolete, replaced by the invisible efficiency
of various technologies. In some cases, this transition is a good
thing- faster transmission and distribution of information, streamlined
systems, openness to user input, less waste. But a hole is left behind
by the disappearance of these everyday objects. What will happen when
we no longer touch information? When newsprint does not rub off onto
our fingertips? When we no longer write longhand?

Here are some examples of her work:

19MAR10 (Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton)2010

Pair, 2010

Vanitas Objects

This World of Ours2009Hand-embroidery on organza, altered found
objectsapprox. 12" x 12"

27 April 2010

Today I had the great pleasure of working with the uber-talented stylist/crafter/foodie Paul Lowe, the genius creative behind the blog Sweet Paul (and in case you are wondering, the adjective is very accurate).

Paul is originally from Norway and brings that very specific Scandinavian sensibility to his work: clean, romantic, delicate. Here are a few crafty highlights from his blog...

If you haven't bookmarked his blog, do it now. And also stay tuned for his new online magazine, due out this spring.

21 April 2010

A new "column" for The Violet Hours. Occasionally I will feature one artist/maker/crafter/inventor...someone whose creations are comprehensively worth inspecting.

This is the work of Christien Meindertsma, from Utrecht, Netherlands. Her work mainly involves wool that she felts to make chunky, gorgeous, pillow-like yarn. She works the origin of the material into her pieces, which is very much a part of her concept. Unlike most "fine art" she wants her pieces used; it is a larger compliment to her when her work is purchased and put to work in a space. You can hear her thoughts on this here.

Her website doesn't offer much explanation, but it's quite jaw-dropping. Here are a few highlights...

Project: Idaho. A project for the Nature Conservancy made with wool from an organic flock of Panama
sheep from Lava lake Ranch, Idaho.

Project: One Sheep Cardigan. These sweaters were made from one animal, and were designed based on the size of the sheep.

Project: Aran Rug. This piece is made
from the wool of 18 merino sheep.